


baking, bonding, and brushing

by chivalrousamour



Series: modern au/youtube au collection lol??? [9]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Jealousy, Multi, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:55:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21727129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chivalrousamour/pseuds/chivalrousamour
Summary: "You are an idiot," Felix told him outright. "How dare you give other people romantic advice when you can't even recognize that someone has a crush on you!""Wait. What?" Ashe asked."I've had a crush on you since high school, idiot!"And Ashe blushed."O...oh.Oh.I... did not know that!""Clearly!"
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert & Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Marianne von Edmund/Ingrid Brandl Galatea
Series: modern au/youtube au collection lol??? [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553266
Comments: 10
Kudos: 104





	baking, bonding, and brushing

"Ashe, I don't understand," Ingrid said simply.

"What don't you understand?" Ashe asked, brushing Ingrid's hair for her.

The two of them were hanging out in the living room of the Blue Lions dorms. Ashe sat on the sofa while Ingrid sat on the floor to place her head in his lap. She was tired and exasperated as she hugged a pillow to her chest.

"Assignments, school, girls..."

"I would think you'd know more about that last one than me," Ashe replied.

"Absolutely incorrect. I do not know anything on the subject of talking to girls."

"This is about the cute self-defence class girl, right?" Ashe asked.

Ingrid let out a groan, which Ashe interpreted as a yes.

"She asked my help teaching her more exercises... because she wants to make a video about how exercise can help people deal with depression."

"That's very sweet," Ashe noted.

"It _is_ ," Ingrid said. "She's so _nice_ and _cute_ and _sweet_ and _thoughtful_ and--!"

She pressed her face into the pillow and groaned, making her hair slip from Ashe's grasp. 

Ashe nonchalantly shifted forward, continuing to brush and style Ingrid's hair.

"And she said she came to me over her other friends in the same class, because she wanted to be my friend... and I told her that we were already friends and her face just _lit up_... she sent me a link to her channel and it turns out we both like horseback-riding, too...!"

"Oh, isn't that great? You could have a conversation about horses! Even ask if she wants to ride with you!" Ashe exclaimed excitedly.

"You really think I could...?" Ingrid asked hesitantly.

"Definitely," Ashe said as he braided her short hair. "And once you're good friends, it'll just make asking her out that much easier, right?"

_"Ashe...!_ _"_ Ingrid exclaimed in a protesting tone.

Ashe laughed in response, while Ingrid eventually relented.

"Not yet. I'm not Sylvain."

Ashe doubled over laughing. Ingrid had to quickly grab his face with both hands so he didn't accidentally smash his face into hers.

That was when the door slammed open.

They both turned to see Felix standing in the doorway, Sylvain and Dimitri peeking in over Felix's head. 

"Were you spying on us?" Ingrid asked with narrowed eyes.

"The door has a window in it," Sylvain pointed out. "We just saw you guys as we were passing by. Mind if we, er, come in?"

Felix stepped in before either of them said yes, dropping a sports bag behind the couch. Ingrid made an exaggerated face at the smell.

"What are you two even doing here?" he demanded. "If you didn't want anyone to see anything shameful, you should have stayed in your rooms."

"Just _what_ are you _implying_ \--" 

Ashe cut Ingrid off with a hasty, "we're not doing anything of the sort! Just hanging out, talking about things, you know!"

"Very specific," Sylvain said as he dumped his school bag by the other couch, Dimitri following in after him. They took their seats on the other couch. Sylvain laid back with his feet on the coffee table and pulled out his phone. Dimitri sat up straight and pulled out his textbook.

"You're styling Ingrid's hair," Felix pointed out.

"That doesn't mean anything...!" Ashe said, only for Felix to gesture to Dimitri.

"...what?" Dimitri asked as he looked up from his reading. A kitten hair pin was holding his bangs in place, the rest of his long hair tied up with a ribbon.

"Hilda again, right?" Sylvain asked. "Very cute. Is she putting the pin on sale soon?"

"She is, actually."

"Okay, Dimitri and Hilda are one thing, Ashe and I are another," Ingrid said simply. "And besides... er."

Ashe gave Felix a wide grin, saying, "I wouldn't mind brushing your hair for you, if you'd like."

"Oooh, forward!" Sylvain said, prompting Ingrid to glare at him.

Felix froze, before turning his face sharply away. His three childhood friends immediately recognized this as embarrassment.

Ashe, however, took this as a rejection, so he simply went back to braiding Ingrid's hair. 

Felix didn't notice, so he was in the middle of reaching up to undo his bun when he saw that Ashe was no longer paying him any mind. 

Ingrid stared at him flatly, until Felix grabbed his bag and stormed out.

The swordsman's childhood friends paid no mind to this, but Ashe wondered if he had done something to offend the dark-haired man. 

_'It's really a shame... I want to be friends with Felix too. Is there anything I can do so I don't anger him as much?'_ Ashe wondered, tying Ingrid's hair up for her carefully.

* * *

Ashe realized it suddenly.

Unfortunately, he picked the worst possible moment to have a revelation about how to bond with Felix. As in, one moment where he was handling hot objects in front of a camera.

See, Ashe was part of a five-person baking Youtube channel, and, well. They had been filming when he accidentally dropped a heated tray of cupcakes on himself.

His fellow bakers cried out for him in concern, rushing to help in their own way.

Mercedes went to grab the first aid kit, Dedue caught the tray with his own baking mitt, Annette shut off the camera, and Lysithea checked if he was okay.

Ashe apologized, asking if they would have to cut that part of the video. Lysithea scolded him for his utter lack of priorities, telling him he could have easily burnt himself.

Then the taste testers moved into the kitchen, asking if everything was alright.

Ashe said sorry to Cyril, Petra, and Marianne, before whispering another apology to Ingrid. The time he invited her crush as a guest taste tester with her was the one time he screwed up like that.

Ingrid's response was to glare at him for not considering his own safety.

But Ashe didn't really dwell too much on possible burns, since he was too busy thinking of his revelation.

_'Sweets are a great way to bond with people, aren't they? If I present Felix with some homemade treats... maybe he'll actually smile!'_

* * *

"What is this," Felix demanded, looking at the bag Ashe had placed in his hand like it could explode and kill him.

"A gift from me to you," Ashe said with a cute smile.

"...why?" Felix asked, his voice coming out a bit strained.

And Ashe blushed, because it was a bit embarrassing to say it outright, but...

"Well, I wanted to get closer to you," Ashe told Felix, completely unaware of the effect he was having on Felix's psychological and emotional state, "that's why I'm giving you these sweets."

Felix, who had been trying to pinch himself discreetly, paused.

"Sweets?" he repeated, opening the bag to check for himself.

"Yes! They're chocolate chip cupcakes! I made them with the others," Ashe explained happily. He was about to go on, when he glanced at Felix.

The swordsman seemed incredibly... tense? His face was as stony and irritable-looking as ever, but he was almost crushing the bag of sweets...

"Do... do you not want them?" Ashe asked. Felix's eyes widened slightly, and Ashe felt a bit guilty. "If you don't want them, it's fine. Please don't feel pressured to accept them or anything--"

Ashe was stunned into silence, because in just one instant, Felix removed a cupcake from the bag and bit into it.

He watched as Felix chewed at the cupcake like he was trying to murder the thing. Felix even managed to swallow it angrily (?), somehow?

"It's a bit too sweet," Felix said simply.

"O-oh, sorry."

"For next time... if it's less sweet, I'll take it," Felix muttered as he shoved the cupcake wrapper in his pocket.

"What?" Ashe said. It wasn't that he didn't hear it, it was just... well, he didn't understand what he was hearing.

"Forget it," Felix snapped, before walking off.

"I'll bring something less sweet next time, then!" Ashe shouted down the hall at Felix.

Felix flinched at the sound, but Ashe attributed that to Felix, you know, being surprised by the sudden yell.

Ashe just had no idea that, the moment Felix got inside his room, he would hurriedly try and pinch himself at every bit of flesh he could reach.

* * *

"Ashe! I managed to ask her if she would go on a horseback ride with me!" Ingrid exclaimed happily, almost bouncing off the floor in her excitement.

"I'm so proud of you!" Ashe replied. "Do you need advice? Hairstyling? Hugs?"

"To be honest, I have no idea for the first two, but the third would be nice!"

Ashe hugged her. Ingrid grinned, ecstatic from her progress.

He brushed her hair again as she told him about what happened. Ingrid was so giddy that Ashe felt very bad he had to remind her about the literature assignment with Professor Seteth they both had to do before the weekend, AKA the date of her date.

Ingrid groaned, having been so excited that she had forgotten all about it. With a sigh, she retired to her room, thanking him for making sure she didn't fail the class.

Ashe waved her off, deciding to relax in the living room a bit longer. 

He watched a few cat videos on his phone, until he noticed the door open.

"Hello!" he greeted the newcomer.

With wide eyes, he realized it was Felix.

The fencer looked over the room, before his eyes landed on Ashe.

"Did Ingrid abandon you?"

"Oh, she had to go do an assignment due this Friday," Ashe said. "Were you looking for her?"

Felix didn't answer immediately. He pulled his fingers through his hair in silence for a few seconds, before saying, "no."

"Alright. Uh, did you get back from fencing?" Ashe asked.

"No."

Ashe felt his smile become a bit awkward as he asked, "or, class?"

"I got back from the dining hall," Felix said, finally moving away from the doorway.

Ashe watched as Felix went to sit next to him.

"Did you get anything good?" Ashe asked.

"It was edible," Felix answered and Ashe was glad that he was getting more words out of Felix's mouth.

"I think Flora's a good cook," Ashe said. "But she's not always the one cooking, so it really varies..."

He didn't notice how Felix seemed a bit strange, or how the other man was staring at the hairbrush Ashe left on the coffee table...

"Do you know the chefs, actua--" 

Ashe cut himself off, stunned by Felix's actions once again. 

This time, it was Felix brazenly untying his hair.

"...what?" Felix asked defensively. 

"Oh, sorry, I was just surprised. Your hair's a lot longer than I thought," Ashe noted. 

Felix felt a bit antsy, but Ashe didn't pay any mind to the hairbrush at all...

"I've actually never seen you with your hair down before! You look quite nice!"

"I... I let down my hair sometimes. When I'm resting."

"Ha, does that mean you can relax around me?" Ashe asked with a grin.

"Well, it's not as if you're a threat," Felix said quickly. "There's no reason to be on my guard around you. You're like a cat."

"A... cat?"

Then, Felix grimaced.

"You," and then he paused. "You're small. With messy hair. And large eyes."

Now, this was all a very roundabout way to avoid calling Ashe cute to his face, but Ashe didn't know that.

So Ashe just laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

Felix let out a sigh of relief.

"You know, Felix, it's fun to talk to you again," Ashe said. "I thought I was forcing you to go along with my interests when it came to our book meetings in high school, so... being able to talk to you about other things is nice."

And Felix forced his gaze away from Ashe as he said, "you? Force me? Impossible. I'd never put up with anything I detested like that."

Ashe stared at him curiously, wondering if that meant...

"Don't look at me like that," Felix snapped.

"Sorry."

Felix put on a sour expression, before saying, "I don't mind talking to you."

"Then, are we friends?" Ashe asked excitedly.

Felix made the mistake of glancing at Ashe's expression just then. And Ashe's eager grin just made Felix say, "do whatever you want."

* * *

_'Marianne, watch out for your knees here. It's really easy to lock your knees by accident and hurt yourself.'_

_'Thank you, Ingrid!'_

Ashe grinned as he watched the video, having finished his assignment an hour ago.

To tell the truth, he thought of himself as a pretty good matchmaker. He was pretty good at spotting crushes!

_'Remember, it's important to take breaks!'_ Marianne reminded her viewers. 

_'Progress comes with continued effort,'_ Ingrid added, handing Marianne a water bottle. _'You're doing a good job.'_

Yep, it was obvious that Ingrid was head-over-heels. She adored talking to Marianne, handed her things, and was especially kind to her.

_'Oh...! It's a bit cold...'_

_'My apologies. I'll bring you a warmer one next time.'_

...wait a second.

Ashe stopped paying attention to the video as he thought something over. 

He adored talking to Felix, gave him food, and was especially kind to him...

But it was because he wanted to be extra good friends with Felix, right? Felix was so prickly that it just made him want to put extra effort into making the other man smile...

"Shit...!" Felix cursed from his spot on the floor, sitting in front of Ashe.

"Oh, sorry, did I hurt you?" Ashe asked Felix, setting the hairbrush aside.

"No," Felix said quickly.

"I'm not used to doing this for you instead of Ingrid," Ashe said, "so you'll have to tell me if I hurt you or if it's uncomfortable, okay?"

And that was when Felix turned around to glare at Ashe.

"Why is it always Ingrid with you?!" Felix demanded. "Even though we're alone together, even though you're messing with _my_ hair, you still talk about her!"

"Uh?"

"You even watch her video!" Felix exclaimed, pointing at the laptop on the coffee table.

"W-wait, that's because I'm supporting her...?! Why are you so angry...?" 

Felix looked like he was about to throw something.

Ashe tensed as Felix got up and loomed over him. The dark-haired man slammed his hands against the couch, pinning Ashe down as he leaned towards--

"Oh hey guys, you wanna..." Sylvain trailed off as Felix glared at him, while Ashe was mostly just baffled.

"Get out," Felix snapped.

"Yeesh, sorry! Have fun!" Sylvain said as he scampered off.

"Um, Felix..." Ashe said.

_"What,"_ Felix said irritably.

"I get it... it's not fun to hear about another friend when it's supposed to be just the two of us hanging out--"

"You are an idiot," Felix told him outright. "How dare you give other people romantic advice when you can't even recognize that someone has a crush on you!"

"Wait. What?" Ashe asked.

"I've had a crush on you since high school, idiot!"

And Ashe blushed.

"O...oh. _Oh._ I... did not know that!" 

"Clearly!"

Felix was breathing heavily from his outbursts. The swordsman refused to look at him anymore, so Ashe decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Hey, Felix... I like you too. I have fun being with you, and I like talking to you, and I... well, I've been trying my best to make you like me and smile around me," Ashe admitted, raising his hand to Felix's face and gently getting the other man to face him. "So, if you don't mind, will you let me be your boyfriend?"

Felix's eyes widened. 

"You... what?"

"Like you back," Ashe said with a smile, before kissing Felix on the cheek.

**_"!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?"_ **

Felix blushed and shut down mentally.

"Hm. That... well, that's not good," Ashe said casually, slipping out from under Felix's arms to move the fencer into a more comfortable position. "I'll have to ask again later."

* * *

**Bonus**

"By the way," Ashe started off, at the friendship meeting that involved the two of them discussing their new romantic partners, "were you never going to tell me that Felix had a crush on me?"

"Would you even believe me if I told you that the constantly-glaring, short-tempered, irritable guy who didn't seem to like talking to you at all actually had a crush on you the entire time?" Ingrid replied.

Ashe really had to hand it to her there.


End file.
